Posts Tagged ‘PFS Interview’

It has been almost two decades since Ethan Hunt first appeared on the silver screen, as he attempted to rescue the NOC List and iconic-ly hovered in a gleaming computer room. The original Missions Impossible has since led to four sequels, including this month’s Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation, opening July 31.

In Rogue Nation, directed by Edge of Tomorrow screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie, the IMF, a small highly-specialized group of spies, faces its most dangerous opponent yet: the Syndicate. After being disbanded by the CIA, Ethan (Tom Cruise) and his team learn that the Syndicate, previously thought of as a myth among spies, is real. This ring of extremely skilled spies, who have thrown out their moral compasses and allegiances, are now plotting to throw the world into turmoil, unless Ethan can stop them. Left out in the cold by the US government, Ethan and is team race against the clock to defeat rogue spies who will challenge them emotionally, intellectually, and physically.

An early scene in Selma depicts Annie Lee Cooper, played by Oprah Winfrey, sitting in an Alabama courthouse. She nervously approaches the window and hands in a completed voter registration form. The white man behind the counter, who has clearly thwarted her previous attempts at voter registration, studies her form. He looks up and challenges her to recite the preamble to the Constitution. She does so perfectly from memory. Annoyed, he asks her how many county judges there are in Alabama. Sixty-seven, she answers confidently, probably having been stumped last time. The man sneers back at her, “Name them,” he says.

When she cannot, the man stamps DENIED on her registration form, and she is sent away again.

Though by 1965, all Americans technically had the right to vote, experiences like Cooper’s (and worse) were extremely common in the South. African Americans were met with derision, oppression, institutional obstacles, and violence when trying to register to vote. As a result, masses of black people were disenfranchised and denied a basic American right. The marches from Selma to Montgomery, led by Dr. Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights Leaders of the time, eventually led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voter registration and is considered one of the most important events of the Civil Rights Movement.

When Selmaopens nationwide on January 9, it will be making history for a couple of reasons. Not only is it the first studio film about Dr. King, but it has also garnered director Ava DuVernay with a Golden Globe nod, making her the first African-American woman to be nominated. She will make history again if nominated for an Academy Award this month.

DuVernay recently visited Philadelphia for a pre-holiday screening of Selma, and I was honored to speak with her about her film and activism for African-American filmmakers.

Fans of Will Ferrell-Adam McKay collaborations have been waiting nearly a decade for a follow up to arguably their best work together so far. Quotes from the original are burned into our vernacular – “I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch,” “60% of the time, it works every time,” “I’m in a glass case of emotion!” Now, the wait is over; Anchorman 2 barrels into theaters next Friday.

The film picks up with Ron Burgundy collecting his news team for a spot in the brand new 24-hour news network in New York City. From the opening credits to the closing scene, Anchorman 2 reaches new heights in comedy. Champ Kind is louder, Brian Fantana is smoother, Brick Tamland is Brickier, and Ron Burgundy is all around more legendary.

It has been nearly a week since the 22nd Philadelphia Film Festival ended and over the 11-day celebration of film, one of the brightest nights was Monday October 21 at the Prince Music Theater. The Philadelphia Film Festival welcomed director Alexander Payne and actor Will Forte for a Centerpiece screening of Nebraska.

We Are What We Are opens as a torrential downpour hits a small upstate New York town. Muddy water fills the street and people stay in their homes for the most part, except for Mrs. Parker, who ventures out to the general store. On the way home, she slips, hits her head and dies, sinking into dirty water beside the road. Upon learning of her mother’s demise, Rose Parker, the eldest of the family, is forced into her mother’s role of carrying out the family’s annual religious ceremony.